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尖端 (jiān duān) — (noun) tip, pointed end; (adjective) most advanced, cutting-edge, state-of-the-art

Definition

尖端 is BOTH the pointed tip of something (noun) AND 'cutting-edge, state-of-the-art' technology (adjective). Unlike 末 or 尽头, which mean the ordinary end of something, 尖端 suggests the very top in achievement or advancement.

noun
tippointed end
adjective
most advancedcutting-edgestate-of-the-art

Examples

  • 尖端。
    Zhè ge gōng jù de jiān duān hěn xì.
    The tip of this tool is very fine.
  • 尖端。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī zhèng zài kāi fā jiān duān chǎn pǐn.
    This company is developing cutting-edge products.
  • 尖端。
    Tā men zài rén gōng zhì néng lǐng yù qǔ dé le jiān duān chéng guǒ.
    They have achieved cutting-edge results in the field of artificial intelligence.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

尖jiānsharp
端duānend

尖 means sharp or pointed, and 端 means end, so the word names the tip or the most advanced point.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

尖 puts 小 (small) above 大 (large), showing the width of an object gradually changing from small to large.

Open 尖 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
立立lì
Sound part声符shēngfú
耑
耑zhuān端duān
Same sound today

端 is made by putting 立 beside 耑. The 立 part is connected to the meaning, and 耑 gives the sound.

Open 端 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Abstract Concepts

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